New Nahal Tsofim parking lot opens

The new parking lot is located on the western part of Mount Scopus, at a central point in northern Jerusalem where the Givat HaMivtar and French Hill neighborhoods meet, adjacent to Highway 1 and close to the Red Line of the light rail.

The five-floor lot, which has an area of about 26,000 square meters, contains about 1,000 parking spaces. The unique semicircular structure faces the direction of Emek Ha'Arazim.

The parking lot, which was established via the Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation, the municipal arm that carries out the infrastructure and transportation projects for the Municipality, mainly serves the passengers of the adjacent Red Line. The new lot allows those arriving from outside the city to park their vehicles easily and comfortably, and then continue to their destination by light rail in a short time and without traffic jams. The lot will also serve future passengers on the other light rail lines that are currently being built.

The Nahal Tsofim parking lot is one of a number of "Park and Ride" lots that already exist, are being planned, or are being built throughout the city. The future parking lots will add about 7,500 new parking spaces for residents of Jerusalem as well as visitors.

The Nahal Tsofim lot is in addition to the old parking lot on Mount Herzl, which operates on the other side of the Red Line in the south of the city.

In addition to the parking lot's unique and impressive structure, it has benches on its upper level, which faces the street and the Red Line light rail station, for the enjoyment of residents and passengers, who can pause for a moment to admire the amazing view towards Nahal Tsofim, the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood, the Ramat Eshkol neighborhood, and the Givat Hamivtar neighborhood, all the way to Emek Ha'Arazim.

The parking lot connects to the bike path that runs through Emek Ha'Arazim, and connects to all the parks along the valley that stretches between the parking lot and the sports complex. There are dozens of seating areas in the valley so that cyclists and families spending time in the heart of nature can park their vehicles in the lot and enjoy riding and walking along the designated paths comfortably, safely and easily.

The Minister of Transportation and Road Safety, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Miri Regev, said "The new Nahal Tsofim parking lot is part of the concept of integrated transportation that I am promoting, based on connectivity and linkage. At the center of the future transportation network will be mass transit systems, such as light or heavy rail or BRT buses. The passenger will reach the nearest train station in any way that suits him or her, by bicycle, on foot, by "micromobility" or by private car, which the passenger can leave in a modern, covered 'Park and Ride' parking lot, like the one we are launching today at one of the main entrances to Jerusalem."

The Director General of the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety, Moshe Ben Zaken, said "Thousands of passengers enter Jerusalem every day from Highway 1 East, from the direction of Ma'ale Adumim and the Binyamin settlements. Starting today, they are invited to leave their car in the new and spacious Nahal Tsofim parking lot, get on the light rail, and reach any destination around the city within minutes. And let's not forget that in a few years the Green Line will also stop here. The Ministry of Transportation is setting up a network of 'Park and Ride' parking lots at all entrances to the city, with approximately 7,500 parking spaces. Our goal is to free the city center from private vehicles, and leave it as a bustling urban center that is welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists."

In a statment, the Jerusalem Municipality said, "The opening of the Nahal Tsofim parking lot is good news for residents and visitors to the city. The parking lot allows easy and convenient parking for those arriving from outside the city, and a connection to the light rail for a short trip without traffic jams. We will continue to work to create smart and green transportation solutions for the city's residents, which will be accessible, fast, effective and safe".